Summary

The article details a visit to the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland, focusing on the Giant's Causeway and Game of Thrones filming locations, including Ballintoy Harbour, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, and the Dark Hedges.

Abstract

The Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland is explored in this travelogue, highlighting the Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its unique basalt columns. The journey includes a visit to Ballintoy Harbour, which served as a filming location for the popular television series Game of Thrones. The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, another attraction, offers stunning views and a thrilling walk over the sea, with its own Game of Thrones connection. The Dark Hedges, a picturesque avenue of beech trees, is also noted for its appearance in the series. The article underscores the impact of Game of Thrones on Northern Ireland's tourism and economy, while reflecting on the natural and historical significance of the sites visited.

Opinions

The author expresses admiration for the Giant's Causeway, emphasizing its status as a top tourist attraction and its fascinating geological formations.
The article suggests that the Game of Thrones filming locations add an extra layer of interest to the Antrim Coast, enhancing the visitor experience.
The National Trust's management of the Giant's Causeway is noted, with the author mentioning the free access to the Causeway itself, despite parking and visitor center fees.
The author seems to appreciate the beauty and significance of the Dark Hedges, highlighting their fame as the most photographed trees in Northern Ireland.
There is a hint of disappointment regarding HBO's decision to film the new House of Dragons series outside of Northern Ireland, acknowledging the economic benefits Game of Thrones brought to the region.

Exploring The Amazing Antrim Coast and Striking It Rich

Searching for Game of Thrones filming locations in Northern Ireland

The Giant’s Causeway

Our two-car caravan set off one morning from Belfast up the M2 and then the A26 to Ballymoney and then on to the Giant’s Causeway at the top of the Northern Antrim coast. Our first stop was The Giant’s Causeway, the only UNESCO heritage site in Northern Ireland and the top tourist attraction in the country.

The mile walk from the Visitor Centre to the Causeway. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

The UK’s National Trust manages the Causeway. Anybody can visit the Causeway for free. You have to pay for parking, though, and there’s an admission fee for the Visitor Centre. There’s also a shuttle from the Visitor Centre to the Causeway and back. We walked down but took the shuttle back.

Grandkids and hexagons. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

The Causeway consists of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that are mostly hexagonal but may have as few as four sides or as many as eight. The strange shapes are the result of instant cooling after volcanic activities that occurred (according to the audio devices we were given for our self-guided tour) some 66 million years ago.

View of the Organ Pipes. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

We walked by the Organ Pipes while hiking the Blue Trail. Another basalt formation called the Giant’s Gate is right by the Grand Causeway.

Ballintoy Harbour

Ballintoy Harbour is 7.4 miles (12 kilometers) down the coast from the Giant’s Causeway. GoT connection: In seasons 2 and 6 of Game of Thrones the harbor served as Lordsport, the capital of the isle of Pyke in the Iron Islands.

Rourke’s Kitchen, a popular little restaurant, overlooks Ballintoy Harbour. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

Another view of Ballintoy Harbour. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

GoT connection: Theon was baptized in the waters off Ballintoy Beach in Episode 3 of Game of Thrones Season 2.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

The Carrick-a-Rede car park and ticket office is about two minutes from the Ballintoy Harbour car park.

View from the Rope Bridge trail. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

Lenbane Quarry is on the left. Sheep Island is on the right. Kenbane Castle sits on a rock in the middle of the photo. We were told that on a clear day you can see the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland from this portion of the trail.

GoT connection: The quarry halfway up the cliff on the left was the site for Renly’s Camp in Season 2 of Game of Thrones and for Kingsmoot in Season 6. The quarry now serves as an overflow car park for the Carrick-a-Rede parking lot.

The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

My granddaughter Clare is in the lower left, just completing her walk across the bridge. Her dad is just starting to walk across.

The first rope bridge to the tiny island of Carrick was built by salmon fishermen in 1755. This is the eighth bridge, built in 2008. The National Trust owns and maintains the bridge and they run a tea-room and gift shop near the car park. Anyone can walk the trail for free, but you have to buy a ticket to cross the bridge (£9 for adults, £4.5 for kids).

There has been no fishing in this area since 2002. The salmon left because of river pollution. So, what’s on the island? Just one building: a replica of a fisherman’s cottage.

The Dark Hedges

The Dark Hedges, so-called because their interlocking branches block out the sun, are believed to be the most photographed trees in Northern Ireland. It’s about 9 miles to the Dark Hedges from the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge car park.

GoT connection: In Episode 1, Season 2 of Game of Thrones Arya Stark flees King’s Landing and rides through the Dark Hedges transformed into Kingsroad on her way to join the Night’s Watch.

The average life of a beech tree is about 250 years.150 beech trees were planted to line the roadway to Gracehill, the Stuart family mansion, in 1775, 247 years ago. Recent winter storms have taken one or two down just about every year. There were 90 trees left when we visited in June 2019. This one fell in January and was still lying there five months later.

The spaces that are left from the downed trees allow one to see a perfect dome of branches and foliage.

After the Dark Hedges we drove back to Belfast. We spent portions of two more days during our week’s stay in Northern Ireland on Game of Thrones-related themes. Stay tuned for these stories.

HBO and Northern Ireland

HBO pumped £251milion into Northern Ireland’s economy during the ten years (2011–2020) it operated its Game of Thrones project in Belfast.

Alas, the new House of Dragons series (a Game of Thrones prequel) will not be filmed in Northern Ireland. HBO terminated their relationship with Titanic Studios in Belfast in 2020. And Titanic Studios went up for sale in 2021.

The first episode of House of Dragons which aired the other night (August 21, 2022) was filmed in Cornwall, Spain, Portugal and California. (Sigh).

Oh well, the Antrim coast will still be there for a long time. Don’t know about those beech trees, though.